


Promise to Need You

by flannelfeelings



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Amy Santiago Loves Jake Peralta, Banter, Caring, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Early relationship ish, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Happy, Happy Ending, Healing, Hospitals, Hurt Jake Peralta, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Injury Recovery, Jake Peralta Loves Amy Santiago, Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago Fluff, Protective Amy Santiago, s4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:13:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25232944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flannelfeelings/pseuds/flannelfeelings
Summary: Amy takes care of Jake after a brutal injury.
Relationships: Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago
Comments: 8
Kudos: 160





	Promise to Need You

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr, anon said: "Can you write a fic of Amy taking care of jake when he’s hurt plz 🥺"
> 
> Anon !! YES I CAN!!  
> So fun to explore a little protective Amy and injured Jake :( Some pure domestic hurt/comfort here for yall . Loved writing it, thank you for sending it in!!  
> Takes place somewhere in mid-to late season 4!
> 
> Hope you enjoy and lmk your thoughts!!  
> (PS Unbeta'd like all my work, sorry!)

When Jake envisioned getting hurt on the job, it was always a badass _Die Hard_ style scenario. He scaled the side of a building with a shotgun and took out all the German terrorists before getting bravely injured while deflecting gunfire. It was dope, action hero-y stuff. It was what little boys dreamed of.

Unfortunately, reality was often mundane in comparison to Jake Peralta’s fantasies.

Of course his epic controlled power fall into the sunroof of a car back in 2014 was a dope on-the-job injury, and getting shot by his girlfriend wasn’t exactly lame. That only made it extra insulting when he tripped on his untied shoelace running down the precinct’s back stairwell, and began barreling toward the concrete landing below.

He grunted, tucking into himself on his way down to cushion his fall, though a blinding pain shot through his left shoulder. Jake cried out involuntarily at the pain, grabbing his arm to stabilize it.

“Detective Peralta!” a uniformed officer on the landing rushed over, kneeling beside him, “Are you alright? You landed on your shoulder.”

“Motherfucker.” He wheezed. The agony in his arm was unlike anything he’d felt before- even the gunshot. He’d definitely broken something.

“I’ll get someone!” she said quickly, and began racing up the stairs two at a time.

Jake lay there on the cold cement, groaning in pain and gripping his shoulder as if it would fall apart without his fingers wrapped around it. As relieved as he was that his arm had broken the fall and not his head, he still couldn’t stop panicking about his cases. How was he supposed to work with a fucked up shoulder?

He’d been rushing down the stairs to catch an eyewitness who’s statement he was taking just minutes before. They’d left without filling out some information that would be vital if he had to testify and he'd realized too late. But now, that case was blown and who knew how many more would be if he was out of work for weeks?

Maybe he was just exaggerating. Maybe it was fine, just a little sprain. He hoped for that.

It felt like centuries later, but it was probably only a few minutes before Holt’s thundering voice echoed through the stairwell, “Peralta?!”

The pounding beat of footsteps deafened Jake, and he flinched as he felt a hand on his good arm. He glanced up to see Holt, Terry, Rosa and the uniformed officer looking down at him.

“Where’s Amy?” He was ashamed at how small his voice sounded, but he wanted nothing more than to be wrapped up in her arms at the moment.

“She’s out with Charles working a lead.” Terry explained, “We will call her on the way to the hospital.”

“Hospital?” Jake squeaked, “What-”

“Peralta, you appear to be in extreme discomfort.” Holt interrupted, “It looks as though you fell down many steps. I would imagine your shoulder is injured, given the fact that you are gripping it for dear life.”

“It’s just a little tweaked.” he insisted breathlessly.

“Jake, are you hurt anywhere else?” Terry asked, “Did you hit your head?”

“No.” Jake answered, though he was starting to feel somewhat lightheaded and delirious from the pain in his shoulder and the adrenaline of his fall, “Is-is Amy coming?”

“Yes Jake.” Rosa answered with a frown, “Sarge just said he was gonna call her.”

“Let’s get him up.” Terry told them. He squatted down beside Jake and said, “I’m gonna lift you.”

“No!” Jake quickly shook his head, pushing himself up with his good arm into a sitting position, “That’s humiliating. I’m fine.”

Terry sighed, “Jake now is not the time to be prideful, you’re hurt. Just let me carry you.”

“No!” Jake insisted stubbornly. If Terry picked him up because Jake was trying to be funny by jumping into his arms, that was one thing. It was another to be carried out like a baby because he couldn’t walk down stairs properly.

“Alright. This is gonna hurt then.” Terry reached over and grabbed Jake’s good arm, and Jake felt Holt’s hands on his back to brace him.

In a fluid motion, Terry yanked Jake up to his feet while Holt kept pressure on his back so he didn’t collapse. Searing pain shot through his shoulder and he cried out again, stumbling forward as his free hand shot up to cradle his shoulder. He was leaning against Holt, who still held onto his back sternly. Rosa went ahead of them to open the door down the stairs so they could get through.

Jake was panting heavily as he leaned against Holt and Terry for support, feeling sweat start to dew on his forehead and the back of his neck. His eyelids felt heavy and his knees felt wobbly as the pain began to churn up nausea in his stomach. Each step only brought on more agony.

“Almost to the front doors Peralta,” Rosa said as they made their way through the precinct, dodging uniforms left and right.

All he could muster was a weak groan, feeling his eyelids begin to droop over his eyes. His body hurt so badly he wanted to just go to sleep for a while.

“Jake?” Terry urged from beside him, “You with us?”

“I’m-” Jake was trying to tell his sergeant that he was totally fine, but his words trailed off as blackness enveloped his vision. The last thing he heard before he passed out was cursing.

* * *

Jake came to in the car about five minutes later. He was in the back, his legs stretched out over the seats, and he realized he was sitting between Rosa’s legs. She had her back to the door and was cradling his body against her pelvis, legs wrapped around his torso.

“Rosa?” he muttered in confusion as his vision cleared and he noticed Terry driving and Holt in the passenger seat.

All eyes were on him then, and Rosa said, “You’re awake.”

“What happened?” he mumbled, starting to remember the white-hot pain in his shoulder.

“You passed out from the pain.” Rosa explained, “We’re almost to the hospital. Amy and Charles are meeting us there.”

“Amy?” Jake’s voice took on a note of hopefulness.

“Yeah loverboy.” Rosa rolled her eyes.

“You smell like coconuts.” Jake replied, eyes roaming all over the familiar coffee stains of Terry’s undercover car.

“It’s my tropical body mist.” She replied shortly.

“What even is that?”

“Shut up Peralta.”

It didn’t take long before they were pulled up out front of the hospital. An orderly with a wheelchair met them in the ER bay, and Terry left to go park the car while Rosa and Holt followed Jake and the orderly in. Unfortunately, they couldn’t join him for his testing.

The first thing they had to do was take x-rays, which meant removing all of Jake’s clothes and getting him into a hospital gown. As the two orderlies tried their best to gently strip off his leather jacket, which shifted his arm more than he had since his fall, Jake swore he saw God.

“Jesus fucking Christ.” he gasped as they slid the jacket down his shoulders and finally it was off.

“I’m sorry hon.” one of the orderlies said gently, “Almost finished.”

Luckily his flannel was easy to unbutton and slide down his arms, and even though he needed help unzipping his pants, those were too bad either. The hospital gown was certainly breezier than he liked, but at least the undressing was over. An x-ray confirmed he had fractured his scapula. Which basically meant his shoulder was fucked for at least six weeks. There was a grotesque shadow of dark purple bruises over his entire shoulder and some of his back, which made him want to barf.

They stuck him with a sling and sent him to a room to finish receiving his IV and allow the doctor some time to get him some pain meds. He was entitled to opioids, but he declined and requested a high dose of aspirin. He’d seen what pain pill addiction looked like in his line of work.

A small ray of light came back into his world when he was wheeled into his room and saw his girlfriend Amy sitting beside the empty cot, nervously chewing on her fingernails.

“Jake!” she got to her feet, eyes zeroing in on the sling, “What happened?!”

“Oh no biggie.” he replied shortly as he stood shakily from the wheelchair. Moving was a bit easier now that his shoulder was stabilized in the tight sling, “I fractured my shoulder running after a witness.”

“Oh my god.” Amy’s hand came up to her mouth in horror, “Did you leave your shoes untied again?!”

“Let’s not blame the victim here, Ames.” he deflected, mustering up a tiny smirk.

“He can leave here shortly,” the nurse told Amy, “We’re just getting his prescription and some discharge instructions.”

“Thank you.” Amy replied with a grateful smile. The nurse left them alone and Jake sat down on the edge of the bed, joined momentarily by Amy.

“So I’ll be outta commish for over a month.” he said sadly, “Desk duty.”

“Sorry babe.” Amy ran her hand over his leg comfortingly, “At least we live together now, so I can take care of you.”

“Pffft, take care of me.” he scoffed, not meeting her eyes, “I don’t need you to take care of me.”

“Yeah right.” They both turned to see Rosa leaning in from outside the curtain with a devious smirk , “ _Where’s Amy? Is Amy coming?! Are you Amy?!_ ” She mocked Jake in a whining voice.

He felt his cheeks turn hot as he remembered his confused requests for Amy’s presence as he lay in the stairwell, “I don’t know what she’s talking about.”

“Well anyway, Sarge and the Captain had to get back but they wanted me to stay and make sure you’re okay.” Rosa looked him up and down, “You’re fine then?”

“Yep. Almost mint condition.” he replied, though he couldn’t deny that he was upset about missing work and miserable due to the pain.

“Tell them he’ll be fine.” Amy told Rosa, “And please ask Holt to call me. I need the week off.”

Jake turned to look at her with a frown, “Huh?”

“Jake you can barely walk, you can’t be at home by yourself.” Amy shook her head.

“But… you hate missing work. You have FOMOW.”

Amy rolled her eyes, “I’m gonna ignore that because you’re hurt. But Jake, you are so much more important than work.”

“I am?” he asked happily.

"Of course you are Jake!"

“Okay you two are gross. I’ll tell Holt to call.” Rosa gave them a mock-salute and ducked away behind the curtain again.

* * *

Soon enough Jake and Amy were on their way back to their shared apartment. Amy drove slowly and carefully, trying not to jostle Jake too much since it hurt to put on his seatbelt and he refused to wear it, which caused a fight in the hospital parking lot.

_“It’s illegal Jake!”_

_“I don’t care, I **am** the law!” _

_“You are an idiot!”_

_“I’m broken be nice!”_

Amy helped him out of the car and kept a careful hand on his lower back on the entire walk up to their apartment. Once they were inside Jake fell heavily on to the couch, sighing with relief. All the moving around was starting to wear him out more than he’d like to admit.

“Let’s get you some dinner so you can take your pill.” Amy said as she set down her bag and his discharge papers on the kitchen table.

“You’re cooking?” Jake asked worriedly, watching her move into the kitchen. He was usually the one who prepared their meals, since Amy had a knack for serving literal plates of butthole.

“Why would I torture you more?” she teased, “No. I’m ordering some Chinese food.”

“Score!” Jake grinned, “Can you get the-”

“The spicy egg rolls and extra potstickers?” she cut in with a smirk, “Already done.”

Jake looked at her adoringly, “You da best.”

“I know.”

A half hour later they were both posted up on the couch with laps full of Chinese food and an action movie playing on the TV. Jake was three egg rolls and two helpings of orange chicken in when he realized he needed to take his pain pill. He was starting to get used to the throbbing ache in his shoulder, which probably wasn’t good.

Amy passed him a glass of ice water and the ibuprofen, which the doctor said probably wouldn’t do much to help the pain but would hopefully help with swelling. He’d also need to ice his shoulder multiple times a day.

After they’d eaten and finished their movie, Amy began cleaning up the mess from dinner. Jake moved on instinct to stand and assist.

“Sit your ass down Peralta!” Amy ordered sternly, and he quickly planted his bottom back on the couch, wide-eyed.

Once the apartment was cleaned to Amy’s standards, she ventured back into the living room and asked, “Do you want to go lay down?”

Jake debated for a moment. It was enticing to go lay in bed and try to sleep off this horrible day, but he smelled like the precinct and the sterile antiseptic sting of a hospital. He wanted to shower.

“I think I’m gonna wash off first.” he said, using his good hand to push up off the couch cushion into a standing position.

Amy frowned in concern, “Don’t you think that can wait until tomorrow?”

“You wanna sleep with a stink bomb?” he teased as he walked past her toward the bathroom. Amy sighed and followed him down the hall.

“At least let me help.” Amy insisted.

Jake turned to look at her over his shoulder with a smirk, “You’re begging to shower with me?”

Amy crossed her arms over her chest, “No you ass, I’m begging you not to put yourself in more agony because you’re too impatient to wait for a shower.”

Jake shrugged, and then let out a string of visceral curse words as the action sent torrents of pain crashing across his injured arm. His other hand came up on instinct to clench his bicep, though it was clad in the sling, and he struggled to breathe evenly.

“I’ll get a trash bag for your arm.” Amy said, turning for the kitchen.

Jake frowned, “A what?”

Five minutes later, Jake was standing naked in their bathroom while Amy mechanically wrapped his sling in a _Glad_ bag from their pantry. He felt like an idiot.

“I feel like an idiot.” He told her with a frown.

“You look kinda stupid too.” She grinned, “But it will keep the sling dry.”

“Can’t I just take it off to shower?”

“Babe you need to immobilize your arm.” Amy chided, “It has to heal first.”

Jake sighed heavily, but didn’t argue further. Amy stripped out of her own clothes, which earned a wagging of Jake’s eyebrows and a sloppy wink. Normally he’d already be hard just from admiring her naked body, but the pain in his arm was the only sensation he could really register.

Amy helped him into the shower and made sure to position him so the _Glad_ bag was out of the direct stream, which wasn’t the most comfortable way to shower. Jake reached for the shampoo with his good arm, but the action of twisting his body only brought on more throbbing and he had to press his palm against the shower wall and take deep breaths to keep from vomiting in pain.

“Honey,” Amy’s hand was stroking the dip between his shoulder blades, sending chills down his back as her gentle touch soothed his tension, “Let me help you.”

“I’m not a baby.” he wheezed, squeezing his eyes shut against the pain, “I don’t need help.”

“No you’re not, but yes you do. It’s okay, Jake. I’m here for you.” Amy gently nudged him so he turned to look at her.

The beating water cascaded over her body. Her wet hair was matted against her neck, droplets of water caught in her long lashes as she looked up at him with those earnest, meaningful eyes. Her dark skin was illuminated perfectly by the lamplight in the bedroom, as they’d chosen to go without the blinding fluorescence of the bathroom lights. She looked at him with worry, and love, and so much affection.

Jake sometimes forgot that there was another person on this Earth who cared about him, who always had his back. Amy didn’t see taking care of him as a burden, Amy saw it as her job, just as Jake did for her. A job they both took pleasure in doing.

“Okay.” he submitted, finally allowing the pain and her warm eyes to break his resolve, “I- I need some help.”

“Okay.” Amy nodded, grabbing the bottle of shampoo.

She poured a heart serving of it into her palm and gestured for him to move his head down a bit. Since he was a good half a foot taller than her, he had to lean his head forward for her to access his hair. It was awkward at first, but as Amy smoothed her fingers through his poofy curls, massaging his scalp gently but thoroughly, his shoulders relaxed. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to be lost in the feeling of her scrubbing his hair, making sure she got every inch. He had to admit, it felt really nice to be cared for like this. 

Jake’s eyes opened in alarm suddenly, and he looked at Amy, who had suds all over her hands, “Oh shit.”

“What?” Amy asked worriedly, “Did I hurt you?”

“No.” Jake swallowed hard, “Charles was right.”

“What?”

“About washing your lover’s hair-” Jake grimaced, “Oh god Amy, I love it.”

Amy wrinkled her nose up in disdain, “Jake, you are twisted!”

“I’m telling you!” Jake insisted frantically, “It-it-it’s intimate as hell! You’re making me melt, Santiago!”

“Jake!”

“It’s not sexual! I mean...it _could_ be, but no, it’s just really nice!”

Amy shook her head, a small laugh breaking out of her pouty lips, “Well I’m glad you’re enjoying it so much. Come rinse.”

She wrapped her arm around his torso and gently shuffled him toward the stream of water, where he ducked his head under and closed his eyes gently against the feeling of her familiar hands washing the soap out of his hair.

“Time to condition.” Amy softly pulled him back from the water and grabbed the second bottle, following the same ritual. Once his hair was finished, she looked at him seriously, “Okay, now we’re gonna wash your body.”

Jake swallowed, “Okay.”

He had to admit, it was super weird. He hadn’t been “washed” by someone since he was a little kid. To her credit, Amy didn’t make it awkward, she just grabbed the loofah and got to work, scrubbing circles across his skin. She started with his chest and stomach, moving on to the one armpit that was exposed, and his good shoulder. She scrubbed across to his lower back and then up toward his shoulders, and then stopped.

Jake asked, “Everything okay?”

Amy breathed heavily, “I-uh…” she paused for a moment, then admitted, “I can see some of this bruising.”

Jake’s brows pulled together worriedly, “And it’s super disgusting and you’ll never boink me again?”

She laughed a little hesitantly, but then spoke in a somber tone, “No. It’s just...uh, kinda hard to see you like this. Reminds me of when I shot you. I don't like seeing you hurt. It feels wrong to look at your body and see it so beat up.”

Jake looked at his feet, watching bubbles stream past his toes toward the drain as he processed her words. Before he could speak though, Amy continued. “I just wish I could protect you from everything.” she said quietly, “Just put you in a little bubble and make sure no one or nothing could cause you any harm. I hate to see you in pain, Jake.”

Her words were vulnerable and raw with emotion. Jake turned so they were facing each other, and he reached his good hand up to cup her cheek. She leaned into the touch, looking up at him with big, sappy eyes.

He offered her a small, loving smile, “I feel the same way about you, Ames. I worry every single day that something’s gonna happen to you. But you know the one thing that comforts me?”

“What?” she asked.

“Is that if you ever did get hurt, I know I’d be there to wait on you hand and foot and make sure we did everything in our power to get you feeling better. And I’m really grateful to be with someone who I know feels the same about me.”

Amy’s upset expression slowly morphed into a bittersweet smile, and she nodded, “Thanks, babe. I really would. I would do anything for you, Jake.”

“Ditto.” he replied, still smiling at her.

Amy laughed a bit, and glanced down at the loofah in her hands, “Um...do you wanna do your dick? I can, but-”

“I’ve got that part.” he held his good hand out for the loofah, ignoring the teasing giggle she gave him.

* * *

Not too long after, they were both laid up in bed. Jake lay on top of the comforter, clad in a pair of boxers and nothing else. His head and left shoulder were propped up with about ten million pillows, and the whirring of the ceiling fan blew cool air over his aching body. Amy was just situating an ice pack over his shoulder, which offered him some slight relief.

“Sucks that I have to sleep in this thing.” Jake gestured to his sling and frowned, “And I didn’t even catch my witness.”

“Oh! I almost forgot to tell you!” Amy sat up suddenly, shaking her head, “Terry and Holt called while I was in the kitchen getting your water, and they told me they tracked him down. He’s coming back in tomorrow to finish questioning so the testimony will be good to go.”

Jake’s sigh of relief was mountainous, “Shit, that’s awesome.”

“Yes. So all you need to worry about for the next couple weeks is feeling better. Sarge said you could come back for desk duty in two weeks. But until then, you need to just focus on you.”

Jake offered her a small smile, “I think it helps that you’re here with me.”

“Sure you won’t get sick of me?” Amy teased.

Jake snorted, “I don’t really have a choice, I can barely even wash my dick.”

“You did okay.” Amy shrugged, “It’ll take some practice.”

He scowled at her, “I was _joking_.”

“Oh. Right. Me too.” she winked.

Jake rolled his eyes, but gestured for Amy to scoot closer. Luckily, she slept on his right, so she could cuddle up under his good arm and rest her head on his bare chest. Her fingers lazily drew lines down his stomach as she let out a noise of contentment.

“I love you Jake.” Amy said into the quiet.

“I love you more.” He told her sincerely, “Thanks for having my back.”

She looked up at him with a smile, and her expression reminded him that this would be forever. She’d always be here to have his back, and him hers. That was a damn good feeling. Almost made the broken shoulder worth it.

But only almost. It still fuckin hurt.


End file.
